Activity: How Does Gravity Affect Root Growth? by Gregory L. Vogt, Ed.D. Nancy P. Moreno, Ph.D. Stefanie Countryman, M.B.A. RESOURCES For the complete guide, related resources and professional development, visit www.bioedonline.org or www.k8science.org. © 2012 by Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas © 2012 by Baylor College of Medicine IMAGE SOURCES All rights reserved. Page 1: Photo of Astronaut Peggy Whitson Printed in the United States of America. courtesy of NASA, www.nasaimages.org/. ISBN-13: 978-1-888997-77-4 Page 2: Leaf © Jon Sullivan, www. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Leaf_1_web. jpg/. Chloroplasts © Kristian Peters, www. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Plagiomnium_ Teacher Resources from the Center for Educational Outreach at Baylor College of Medicine. The mark “BioEd” is a service mark of Baylor College of Medicine. affine_laminazellen.jpeg/. Page 3: Sunflower plant © Bluemoose, The activities described in this book are intended for school-age children under direct supervision of www.commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ adults. The authors, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM), BioServe Space Technologies (University of Colorado), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and program funders cannot be File:Sunflower_seedlings.jpg/. Mung bean responsible for any accidents or injuries that may result from conduct of the activities, from not and green pea seedlings © Annkatrin specifically following directions, or from ignoring cautions contained in the text. The opinions, findings Rose, Ph.D, www.flickr.com/photos/ and conclusions expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily blueridgekitties/. Cucumber plant © Peter reflect the views of any partnering institution. Chastain, www.commons.wikimedia.org/ Authors: Gregory L. Vogt, Ed.D., Nancy P. Moreno, Ph.D., and Stefanie Countryman, M.B.A. wiki/File:Cucumber_Seedling.jpg/. Editor: James P. Denk, M.A. Creative Director: Martha S. Young, B.F.A. Page 4: Root by Jim Haseloff © Welcome Photographer: Travis Kelleher Images. www.images.wellcome.ac.uk/. Seedling in flask by Travis Kelleher © Baylor Cover photos by Travis Kelleher © Baylor College of Medicine. College of Medicine, www.bcm.edu/. Page 5: Illustrations by M.S. Young © Baylor ACKNOWLEDGMENTS College of Medicine. The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of Bobby R. Alford, M.D., Jeffrey P. Sutton, M.D., Page 6: Brassica rapa © Robert A. Klips, Ph.D., and William A. Thomson, Ph.D. We especially acknowledge the valuable contributions of Louis Ph.D., www.flickr.com/photos/49147273@ Stodieck, Ph.D., of BioServe Space Technologies. N04/with/5495204189/. Plants in Space Teacher’s Guide is supported by National Space Biomedical Research Institute through NASA NCC 9-58, and by Houston Endowment Inc., and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Page 7: Seedlings © University of Wisconsin Plant Teaching Collection. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic or electronic process, or in http://botit.botany.wisc.edu/. the form of an audio recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise copied for public or private use without prior written permission of the publisher. Black-line masters Page 8: Aeroponics chamber reproduced for classroom use are excepted. courtesy of NASA and AgriHouse, Inc. NATIONAL SPACE BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE www.nasaimages.org/. Scientists BioScience Research Collaborative, 6500 Main Street, Suite 910, Houston, TX 77030 harvesting crops courtesy of NASA, 713-798-7413 / www.nsbri.org www.nasaimages.org/. BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE, CENTER FOR EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH Page 9: Experiment components courtesy 1 Baylor Plaza, BCM411, Houston, Texas 77030 of Bioserve Space Technologies. 713-798-8200 / 800-798-8244 / [email protected] / www.bcm.edu/edoutreach www.colorado.edu/engineering/BioServe/. BIOSERVE SPACE TECHNOLOGIES University of Colorado, 429 UCP, ECAE 1B02, Boulder, CO 80309 Wisconsin Fast Plants™ 303-492- 4010 / www.colorado.edu/engineering/BioServe www.fastplants.org Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Seeds and Germination 3 3. A Closer Look at Roots and Stems 4 4. Plants in Space Investigation: Brassica rapa 6 5. How Does Gravity Affect Root Growth? 7 STS-134 Protocol: Brassica rapa 9 Teaming with Benefits – NASA and the NSBRI 10 Plants in Space is a cooperative effort of the following organizations. National Space Biomedical Research Institute Houston, Texas www.nsbri.org BioServe Space Technologies, University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado www.colorado.edu/engineering/BioServe Center for Educational Outreach, Baylor College of Medicine Houston, Texas www.bcm.edu/edoutreach National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington, D.C. www.nasa.gov Support to develop the Plants in Space web-based component and teacher’s guide was provided by the following organizations. National Space Biomedical Research Institute Houston, Texas www.nsbri.org Houston Endowment Houston, Texas www.houstonendowment.org Howard Hughes Medical Institute Chevy Chase, Maryland www.hhmi.org © 2012 Baylor College of Medicine Contents BioEd Online | K8 Science Plants in Space iii 1 Introduction n May 16, 2011, Space Shuttle root growth in microgravity and on OEndeavour began its final mis- Earth, and to collect the data needed sion, a trip to the International Space to answer their questions. Station (ISS). In addition to its pri- mary payload, the Shuttle carried PREREQUISITES two small-scale investigations that While anyone can participate in the invite student participation. The first investigation, it is suggested that prior investigation involved the behavior of to beginning, each investigator become orb-weaving spiders, Nephila clavipes, familiar with fundamental aspects of in microgravity. The second examines the microgravity environment of space plant root growth in space. This inves- and with basic research techniques. tigator’s manual describes the plant The following supplemental guides, Gardening in space has been part of root growth investigation and provides available free of charge on BioEd the International Space Station (ISS) the details necessary for students and Online and K8 Science, offer useful from the beginning. Understanding teachers to collect and analyze data background information. photosynthesis and plant develop- while conducting their own parallel ment is a critical component of future investigations. • Designing Your Investigation long-duration space missions. By Any classroom or individual around • Keeping a Naturalist Journal generating oxygen, removing carbon the world is invited to participate • Scientific Image Processing dioxide and purifying water, living in this project. Each participant (or plants could help maintain a healthy group) must set up an Earth-based PLANTS ON EARTH spacecraft atmosphere and reduce growing chamber with plants to com- Plants are found virtually everywhere the costs of air and water resupply. pare to those growing on the ISS. on Earth’s surface, from deserts to Plant research also will have direct Once the investigation begins in the tropical rainforests to high moun- application to future production of fall of 2011, a steady stream of ISS tains. Scientists have identified about crops that the ISS crew could eat. plant images will be made available 300,000 different species of plants, Shown above, astronaut Peggy for viewing on the BioEd Online which are among the most adaptable A. Whitson, Expedition 5 NASA ISS (www.bioedonline.org) and K8 Science of Earth’s organisms. Plants can range Science Officer, holds the Advanced (www.k8science.org) websites. These in size from microscopic to the largest Astroculture soybean plant growth images will provide many opportuni- known living things. Like other living experiment in the Destiny laboratory ties for creative studies that compare organisms, plants need energy, nutri- on the ISS. Photo courtesy of NASA. root growth in normal gravity with ents, air and water. They produce off- growth in microgravity. spring, are made of cells, react to their This manual begins with a primer surroundings, grow and die. Complete image citations, including on plant roots and plant tropisms Plants’ characteristic green color URLs, are available at the front of this (growth movements in response to a comes from the pigment, chlorophyll, guide. stimulus). Later sections provide full which also is found in algae (close rela- details on setting up a ground chamber tives of plants). Chlorophyll enables and growing the plants. plants to capture light energy and con- The guide does not present a formal vert it into chemical energy through research plan. This investigation a process called photosynthesis. allows–and requires–participants to Photosynthetic organisms (green plants ask their own questions about plant and their relatives) are Earth’s primary 1. Introduction © 2012 Baylor College of Medicine 1 Plants in Space BioEd Online | K8 Science primary recycling system. During Successful pollination leads to seed photosynthesis, leaves extract carbon formation inside the ovary or base of dioxide gas from the atmosphere and the pistil or pistils. After pollination, use it to store energy that enables the ovary expands and becomes fleshy plants to live and grow. At the same or hard, and begins to form the fruit. time, plants release the oxygen that Sometimes, other flower parts become A leaf is an above-ground plant organ enables our atmosphere to sustain life. part of the fruit as well. In non- specialized for the process of photo- In addition,